


A Heart For A Heart

by mayaaminmin



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Death, Execution, Explosives, Gen, Poisoning, Post-Canon, Sacrifice, Suicide, The Red Funeral, Video Game Mechanics, X Life SMP - Freeform, no beta we die like Jacksucksatlife
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:21:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29653311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayaaminmin/pseuds/mayaaminmin
Summary: The Coven is a sisterhood bound not by blood, but by an unbreakable trust and unwavering faith that each witch will do everything in their power to defend one another from harm.Even against one of their own.Today marks the first time all of the witches have gathered together since Joey introduced Scott as the latest addition to the Coven.How fitting that they have all gathered once more for the very same reason.Or: Scott faces repercussions from the Coven for the Red Funeral.
Relationships: Scott | Smajor1995 | Dangthatsalongname & Lizzie | LDShadowLady
Kudos: 16





	A Heart For A Heart

The Coven was created by Supreme Witch Joey to gather the magic users of the X Life server together. The Coven is a celebration of the beautiful and powerful magic that flows in their veins. The Coven is a safe space for witches of all abilities to practice their craft and share their knowledge with one another. The Coven is a promise made by each witch to protect and support one another against any creature or being that threatens one of their own. The Coven is a sisterhood bound not by blood, but by an unbreakable trust and unwavering faith that each witch will do everything in their power to defend one another from harm.

Even against one of their own.

The witches stand in a circle underneath the massive crystal powering the Coven building. Joey stands directly opposite to Scott, and to Joey's right is Katherine, followed by Gem; while to his left stands Shelby, followed by Lizzie.

Today marks the first time all of the witches have gathered together since Joey introduced Scott as the latest addition to the Coven.

How fitting that they have all gathered once more for the very same reason.

Scott feels the angry glares of Katherine and Gem and the disappointed one of Shelby burning his skin. Lizzie is avoiding his gaze, but he doesn't blame her for being resentful of him. After all, it was his plan that took the lives of his fellow witches, and he'd chosen her to be his accomplice for a reason. He had promised her death and destruction at the funeral, and Lizzie was delighted and excited to revel in the chaos they would bring. Nobody else would be willing to take part in such a heinous act, certainly not sweet Shelby with her heart full of love for all life and nature, and even Joey would never dare to risk the lives of his fellow witches, no matter how much he despises the members of Jeremyism.

But little did she know that Scott's plan would lead to the deaths of everybody in the church, including theirs. He'd made sure of it. He wanted to punish the members of Jeremyism for daring to oppose him and threatening his position, despite earning it fairly from their former leader. And if it meant crushing the spirits and destroying the sacred sanctuary of the Jeremyism members so nothing could rise in its place, then so be it.

He was prepared to lose one of his own lives if it meant he could exact his revenge on the traitorous Jeremyism members, and he was blinded by his rage. He didn't consider the possibility that Coven members would attend the funeral, and when they sat in the rigged church that day, he said nothing. He let his anger against the Jeremyism members cloud his love for the Coven.

Scott decided that he deserves whatever punishment Joey decides to bestow on him today.

"Scott, knowledge witch and Knowledge Keeper and Lizzie, dark witch and Potions Master," Joey speaks with an unreadable expression, and it bothers Scott more than any other expression he could have made, "You have committed an unforgivable offense against your sisters, Katherine and Gem, by taking one of their lives."

Scott wishes Joey would glare at him, or scowl, or frown, or show even a sliver of emotion on his face so that he knows he still cares, but his heart sinks as Joey continues on with the same neutral expression.

"After much deliberation, I have decided that what was unfairly taken from a witch, must be repaid in kind."

Scott glances towards Lizzie, who must be coming to the same realization as he. Her eyes are wide and full of fear. Scott begins to sweat. _Joey can't be serious, right? He wouldn't ask Lizzie to-_

"For the crime of taking one of Katherine's and Gem's lives, Scott and Lizzie, you must sacrifice one of your own."

Lizzie's face has gone pale and her hands begin trembling at her side as tears start to well up in her eyes, "Joey, please, you can't be serious, I'm on my last life! If I die, I'll die for good!"

Joey merely raises a brow at that. "Then maybe you and Scott should have considered that before risking the lives of your sisters."

"Joey, please, I'll do anything! I can work for Katherine and Gem, I can give them diamonds, or potions, or totems, or anything else they want," Lizzie's whole body is shaking and tears are flowing freely down her face as she begs, "Please, Joey, I don't want to die."

The Coven building is silent save for the soft hum of the crystal hovering above their heads and Lizzie's broken sniffling. Scott glances back and forth between Katherine and Gem, and Joey. His face remains neutral, but he meets the eyes of the two girls and they seem to have a silent conversation between them. Scott reaches for Lizzie's hand and weaves their fingers together, he squeezes her tightly as they await Joey's verdict.

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry._

For a moment, Scott wonders if Joey is going to put his foot down and refuse Lizzie's plea, but then he takes a deep breath and his eyes seem to soften ever so slightly when he looks back at them, and a spark of hope blossoms in Scott's chest.

"Would you prefer banishment, Lizzie?" Joey offers.

"Banishment?" Lizzie asks, "What do you mean? To where? For how long?"

"Nowhere," Joey clarifies, "Would you prefer permanent banishment from the Coven as punishment for hurting your sisters?"

 _Of course she'll take it_ , Scott thinks to himself, _it's either that or death. She has no choice!_

Lizzie doesn't deserve this.

"Is this acceptable, Lizzie?" Joey asks, "We will spare your life, but you will no longer be a part of the Coven."

Before Lizzie can respond, Scott takes a deep breath and steps forward.

"Take one of my lives instead."

All heads turn to Scott and he forces himself to stand tall. He meets Joey's gaze and his chest lightens when he realizes the other witch is looking at him with concern instead of the blank, distant expression.

"Are you offering to shoulder Lizzie's punishment, Scott?"

He nods once, "It was my plan, and my plan alone, that killed Katherine and Gem. Lizzie played no part in it. It should be me who takes the blame, not Lizzie."

"Scott, are you sure?" Lizzie grabs his shoulder and forces him to look at her, "You're losing _two_ of your lives, Scott. You don't have to do this for me. I'll be okay without the Coven."

"But I want to, Lizzie."

"My place in the Coven is not worth your life!"

"But your happiness is," Scott smiles sadly and adds, "I'm in the Hall of Friendship for a reason, Lizzie, just let me do this for you."

For a moment, it seems as if she's going to protest, but Scott knows this is the best decision. It is the right decision. And Lizzie knows it, too, because she nods in defeat with fresh tears in her eyes and says, "Alright."

Joey clears his throat and asks again, "Are you offering to take Lizzie's punishment, Scott?"

"I am."

Scott's throat tightens up as soon as he says the words and tears prick at the back of his eyes. He knows he will be okay, it's not like this is his last life, but he is still terrified of dying. Everyone is. Death is never pretty; it's a dark and painful experience, and Scott is dreading it. This time, it is Lizzie who reaches for his hand. She squeezes it tightly.

 _I'm doing this for Lizzie_ , Scott takes a deep breath and composes himself, _and for Katherine and Gem._

_I need to earn back their trust._

"Is this acceptable?" Joey asks the girls to his right. Katherine and Gem share a glance, before Katherine says, "Because Lizzie knew about Scott's plan and was able to prepare for it, we would also like her to give us one Totem of Undying each."

"I can do that," Lizzie nods vigorously, "I can get them to you within a week."

"Then we accept."

"So be it."

* * *

Scott sits in the reinforced chamber underneath the Coven island where they test particularly dangerous and volatile spells. He holds a single wither potion in his hands. Katherine and Gem are standing by the door to make sure he fulfills his punishment, while Joey and Lizzie are waiting in a makeshift tent with a bed and supplies ready for his respawn.

"Gem? Katherine?"

"Yes?"

"What is it, Scott?"

Scott takes a deep breath and meets both of their gazes as he says, "I'm sorry."

Gem gives him a sad smile, "Apology accepted."

Katherine nods in agreement, "Thank you, Scott."

"Do you think you could ever forgive me?" Scott asks in a meek voice.

There's a pause as the two girls share a look.

 _Why would you ask that?_ Scott panics and quickly says, "You don't need to answer—"

"Scott, it's okay," Gem interrupts him gently, "We forgive you. We could never hold a grudge against you for long."

"And the fact that you agreed to this, and even offered one of your lives for Lizzie, is proof that you're being sincere, and that's enough," Katherine adds, "It's water under the bridge now."

"Thank you, guys." Scott is filled with so much relief he could cry, but he has a debt to pay first. Even if they say they forgive him, it won't feel right unless he's made up for his wrongs. Not to him, at least.

"Are you ready?" Katherine asks. Her eyes are sad, but firm. Nobody wants to watch a friend die, but this is the only way Scott can accept their forgiveness, and forgive himself.

"Yeah, can you count me down?" Scott asks nervously, "I don't think I can do it on my own."

"Sure thing, Scott."

Gem counts down from five. Scott uncorks the glass bottle and brings the mouth to his lips. The second Gem says, "one," Scott tips the bottle back and swallows the entirety of its contents in one big gulp. The black potion stains his lips and the wither's poison immediately begins to leach his health. He can feel the liquid burning its way down his throat, past his chest, and into his stomach. It feels like acid. His body is on fire and burning from within. His throat is closing up and he feels sick and lightheaded. His heart is slowing down and he can no longer feel his arms. His body grows weaker and weaker until he loses his strength completely and collapses to the ground. Gem rushes to catch him, but he's already dead in her arms.

_Smajor1995 withered away_

_Smajor1995 has 4 lives remaining_

* * *

Scott awakes in the tent with Lizzie reading through a familiar leatherbound book.

"Snooping through my Book of Life?" Scott jokes, startling Lizzie.

"How are you feeling?" Lizzie drops the book and rushes to his side. She checks his eyes and then takes his pulse, and Scott lets her fuss over him as he waits for his body to wake up.

Scott slowly sits up and accepts the water bottle and bread Lizzie offers him. He takes a sip of water and nibbles on the bread to regain his strength, then he rises to his feet and carefully flexes his muscles, arms, legs, to make sure everything is fine and in order after his respawn.

"I feel good, aside from the respawn fatigue," Scott replies and finishes the bread, "How long was I out for?"

"Just a couple of hours."

Scott hums in acknowledgment, "I'll assume that Joey and the others are preparing the next—"

"Scott, you're awake, "Joey cuts him off as he walks into the tent. He makes his way to the nearby cauldron and washes off the various dust caked to his hands, "I overheard your conversation, and yes, the room is ready. Do you want to continue with it today or would you prefer to have it on another day?"

"Let's just do it today," Scott says with a shrug, "get it done and over with sooner."

"Alright, let's go."

Lizzie wraps her arms around Scott and squeezes him tightly.

"I'll be here when you wake up."

"Thank you, Lizzie," Scott hugs her back before following Joey to the test chamber.

As they make their way there, Scott begins mentally preparing himself for what's to come. The agreement was that he would die the same way Katherine and Gem did. He already took the wither potion, which was arguably the worse out of the two, but he's not looking forward to dying by TNT either.

 _At least it'll be a quick death_ , Scott tries to comfort himself, _just one second of extremely agonizing pain as my body is vaporized and then it'll be over._

Scott is so caught up in his thoughts that he doesn't notice they reached their destination. Joey has stopped in his tracks and Scott nearly runs into the other man.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Scott?" Joey asks him kindly, "It's not too late to change your mind."

"No, I've already made up my mind," Scott says with too much confidence, "I'd rather lose one of my lives than lose Lizzie forever."

"You're a good man, Scott," Joey says with a smile and pats him on the arm, "Jeremiahmism didn't deserve you, anyway."

"Thanks, Joey," Scott chuckles at Joey's attempts to lighten the mood, "I appreciate it."

"See you in a while, Scott," Joey bows his head slightly as he says, "May you have a swift and painless passing."

Scott takes a deep breath and goes into the reinforced room. He surveys the small pile of TNT and notes that there is just enough there to kill him. He assumes there's a hidden redstone wire underneath the floor that leads to a lever somewhere outside the room. He climbs over the explosives and stands in the middle of it, and waits. He fidgets with his clothes and shifts his weight from one foot to the other to keep himself from touching and potentially ruining the redstone mechanism. It seems like an eternity before anything happens, but eventually, he hears a soft _click_ through the walls and the TNT around him activates all at once.

Scott counts silently in his mind, _3, 2, 1,_ and then closes his eyes as the TNT detonates around him.

_Smajor1995 blew up_

_Smajor1995 has 3 lives remaining_

**Author's Note:**

> okay so i really really loved Scott's plan with the Red Funeral and the Fall of Jeremyism and basically his whole villain arc was just *chef's kiss* delicious but i just couldn't help but imagine what would happen if Katherine and Gem felt betrayed by Scott (a fellow coven member) since he never told anyone about this plan, not even Lizzie! nobody from the coven knew he was having this villain arc and it was just too good not to imagine some angst, yknow? AND GEM LOST HER FIRST LIFE! so i feel like Katherine and Gem deserve to be mad at Scott for killing them, as a treat <3
> 
> anyway, i hope you enjoyed! kudos and comments are always appreciated <3 and you can find me on @mayaaminmin on tumblr!


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